The International Micropatrological Society (IMS) was an American learned society and research institute dedicated to the study of micronations.[2] Founded in 1973 by Frederick W. Lehmann IV of St. Louis, Missouri, the IMS coined micropatrology as the study of micronations and micronationalism.[3][4] It had documented 128 micronations and similar political entities by 1976.[5]
| Formation | 1973 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Frederick W. Lehmann IV |
| Founded at | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Dissolved | 1988 |
| Legal status | Defunct |
| Headquarters | 4554 McPherson Avenue, St. Louis, Missouri, United States 63108 130 Wooton Road, King's Lynn, Norfolk, England |
Official language | English |
| Owner | Frederick W. Lehmann IV (president) Christopher Martin (vice-president)[1] |
The IMS assessed the legitimacy of micronational claims in five categories—B ("bogus"), E ("extinct"), F ("fiction"), T ("traditional") and O ("other"); according to the IMS, only micronations rated T or O had good chances of achieving independence.[5] Owned by Lehmann and Christopher Martin, the IMS had offices in St. Louis, Missouri and King's Lynn, Norfolk, England.[4] According to the Yearbook of International Organizations, the IMS was disestablished in 1988.[6]
History
editThe IMS was founded in 1973 by Frederick W. Lehmann IV of St. Louis, Missouri.[3][4] It was the first organisation dedicated to studying micronations.[7] In 1977, documents from the IMS supposedly supporting the legitimacy of the Most Serene Federal Republic of Montmartre were used in a court case by Montmartre President Barry Alan Richmond to advocate for the micronation's inclusion in the phone directory of New York Telephone.[8] The IMS contributed its research to Erwin Strauss's 1979 How to Start Your Own Country about micronations.[9] According to the Yearbook of International Organizations, the IMS was disestablished in 1988.[6]
Aftermath
editIn 1996, Swiss author Fabrice O'Driscoll of Aix-Marseille University founded the French Institute of Micropatrology (French: l'Institut français de micropatrologie) as an unofficial continuation of the IMS.[10][11] In 2000, O'Driscoll wrote the book Ils ne siègent pas à l'ONU: revue de quelques micro-Etats, micro-nations et autres entités éphémères (They don't sit at the UN: a review of some micro-states, micro-nations and other ephemeral entities), which details over 600 micronations.[12] As of 2009, the records of the IMS were stored in a rented room in an office building in downtown St. Louis, where Lehmann had been storing various other possessions such as Chippendale furniture since 1998.[13]
References
editCitations
edit- ^ Exelby-Bramley, Nicholas (1 January 1979). "From Brunel to Barnes Wallis". Built Environment. 5 (3): 232. Retrieved 16 November 2022 – via ProQuest.
- ^ O'Driscoll, Fabrice (2000). Ils ne siègent pas à l'ONU: revue de quelques micro-Etats, micro-nations et autres entités éphémères (in French). Institut français de micropatrologie. Presses du Midi. p. 100. ISBN 978-2-87867-251-0.
- ^ a b Moreau, Terri Ann (2014). Subversive Sovereignty: Parodic Representations of Micropatrias Enclaved by the United Kingdom (PDF) (Thesis). University of London. p. 51. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ a b c Strauss 1999, p. 162.
- ^ a b Bongartz, Roy (28 March 1976). "Nations Off the Beaten Track". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 November 2022 – via New York Times Archives.
- ^ a b "International Micropatrological Society (IMS)". Global Civil Society Database. Yearbook of International Organizations. Union of International Associations (UIA). n.d. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ Hèctor, Martín Español (2007). "Micronacions i micronacionalisme a la xarxa d'Internet: un reflex del món en clau virtual" [Micronations and micronationalism on the Internet: a reflection of the virtual world] (PDF). Treballs de la Societat Catalana de Geografia (in Catalan) (64). Societat Catalana de Geografia: 173. ISSN 2014-0037. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
- ^ Cohen, Randy (18 July 1977). "Ma Bell v. Montmartre: A Ruritanian Melodrama". New York. Vol. 10, no. 29. New York Media LLC. p. 56. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ Strauss 1999, p. III.
- ^ Latrive, Florent (2 October 1998). "L'organisation des nations online. De Choconia à Mérovingie, les "micronations" virtuelles se développent sur l'Internet avec leur Constitution, leur drapeau, voire leur monnaie. Entre jeux de rôles, création artistique et laboratoire politique" [The organization of nations online. From Choconia to Merovingia, virtual "micronations" are developing on the Internet with their own constitution, their own flag, even their own currency. Between roleplay, artistic creation and political laboratory.]. Libération (in French). Retrieved 6 January 2023.
- ^ Foucher-Dufoix, Valérie; Dufoix, Stéphane (February 2012). "La patrie peut-elle être virtuelle ?" [Can the homeland be virtual?]. Pardés (in French). 52. In Press: 57–75. Retrieved 6 January 2023 – via Cairn.info.
- ^ Vieira, Fátima (2022). "Micronations and Hyperutopias". In Marks, Peter; Wagner-Lawlor, Jennifer A.; Vieira, Fátima (eds.). The Palgrave Handbook of Utopian and Dystopian Literatures. Palgrave Macmillan Cham. p. 282. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-88654-7_22. ISBN 978-3-030-88654-7.
- ^ Hinman, Kristen (29 April 2009). "Musical Chairs: At last, the mystery of the missing Chippendales is solved". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 10 December 2024.
General and cited references
edit- Strauss, Erwin S. (1999) [1979]. How to Start Your Own Country (3 ed.). Paladin Press. ISBN 978-1-58160-524-2.